Can't stop, won't stop.

The pouch craze continues and there's no sign of slowing down. I just hope I get a chance to squeeze in some new things after the holidays between these and all of my handmade gifts. I'm planning to update the shop in early January but until then... Have a joyous and merry holiday filled with family + friends + delicious food!

Busy, busy, busy!

Hello! I've been running at full speed since the last time I updated (well, since August really..), hence the lack of blog postings. There's been so many things I've wanted to blog about lately but by the time I usually have time to write a post, sleep ends up winning. There are big exciting changes coming up and an exciting new project, but those will have to wait for another post. This whole week has been spent doing all kinds of last minute prep for Craft Saturday this weekend. It's hard to believe we're already in year three! If you live in the Des Moines/Ames/Central Iowa area and still have Christmas gifts to buy - we better see you tomorrow! Even if you're an early shopper and have all your gifts you should come and find something for yourself: You can get a peek at vendors here. I have been sewing up a storm in preparation for tomorrow and in getting items restocked in stores for the holidays. Here's a peek at just how much sewing - these are the empty spools from just one week! I'll leave you with a small sneak peek into some of the items I will have at Craft Saturday tomorrow. Iowa Love pouches - these went out to a store so I won't have as many but quite a few. And.... I'm bringing back the wristlets from last fall/winter! I did a very limited run of these last year and they were a huge hit at all of the holiday craft fairs. The colors are a little more mellow this year and I added 2 inside pockets for credit cards, lip balm, etc! Happy Friday!

Handmade Nation

Another clip for Handmade Nation is up!! Like many others, I have been patiently waiting for this documentary for the past two years and these little teaser YouTube clips just make me all the more excited. Haven't heard of Handmade Nation yet? Check it out here. You can also head over to their Etsy shop and buy an item to support the film - I highly recommend the heavyweight tote or the Craftifesto print. There's also a Handmade Nation book which is a companion to the movie and it just happened to come out this week. I decided to not order it from Amazon and buy from my local bookstore, but they don't have it out on the shelf yet!

You could win!

This vinyl apple brooch and vintage fabric clutch are headed out in the mail tomorrow to be part of the prize package for the 3rd Annual Indie Parade Giveaway coming up soon!

Lightning shot from the sky

A rainy night here in Ames. For me rain actually makes the perfect working weather if I'm already working. If not, it's not the greatest motivator to get things done. I have spent at least 10 hours sewing today in preparation for this weekend, so I don't have much to blog about. The only time I left the house was to grab dinner and some gelato with Joe. Tomorrow is another full day of sewing! I'm working on new wallet ideas I've been waiting to play around with and stitching up a custom wallet for a super sweet Des Moines girl. Tonight calls for finishing up some fancy zipper pouches and tagging everything that's already ready to go. Back to work!

Is it really the first day of fall?

Well I can say that I have totally fallen off the blogging wagon. I was planning on updating more often but of course life has a way of sneaking in and stealing most of my time. These days it's a challenge just to keep up with email and a blog or two if I'm lucky. My recent Twitter addiction does not help things either. Since we've been home from California we've made a few larger home repairs in our home and worked on getting it ready to sell, put in a bid on a dream house and lost to someone else, taken another vacation to visit my family, and taken some time to talk, think and follow our hearts in where we really want to live next. There's changes on the horizon and most of them are exciting, some are scary, and some may even be surprising. But until some things work themselves out I am going to be glued to my sewing machine this week prepping for Craft Saturday this weekend. Shoppers at Art Fence a couple weeks ago wiped me out a little more than I thought they would, but I can't complain. It just means I get to make even more new and exciting things! I bought a stack of fall colored fabrics this morning to help me get inspired. I've also got a new sewing machine to help ease the burden on my regular machine - a lucky score for only $5 a few weeks ago at a church rummage sale. My goal for this week is to blog every day in the hopes of trying to post regularly. I'll have plenty of new Monster Fashion items to share and I still have photos from a special destination in California to upload!

you're the hooves that lead me through the forest

We just returned from a wonderfully relaxing week long vacation to visit family in Southern California. No matter how many times I visit, I don't think I will ever cease to be amazed by the desert sunsets. It's good to be home though and now it's back to work prepping for holiday shows and getting holiday inventory sent out to shops. Here's some new vinyl pouches I made before we left for CA. I'll be making more in other states too and some other exciting things to share.

oh Etsy...

I love Etsy. I really do. I've been spending a lot of time on there lately and have found some pretty awesome things over the last few months. Things such as: these gorgeous necklaces which are a collaboration between Suspect Shoppe (available here) and Mood Swing Studio awesome recycled telephone wire jewelry by Courtney Watson and adorable hand carved stamps from The Mayberry Sparrow that seem to fly right out of her shop! I'm off to hit a couple garage sales before I get to work. Have a wonderful Friday! And.. P.S. Thank you for all the email condolences about our sweet old dog. I think we're finally adjusted to our new routine without her, although it still doesn't feel like she's gone for good.

RIP

Riley 1998 - 2008

Our sweet old boxer girl passed on just after 10am this morning. She was loved and will be dearly missed.

On Houses and My Mid-Century Dream Home

Now there are definitely some cool mid-century houses here in my small city (a whole neighborhood in fact) and a few in Des Moines, but when I saw this amazing home listed for sale in Des Moines, I was blown away. Of course we could never afford it, thus it's a dream home, but we've been looking through the Des Moines real estate listings since January and continue to find ourselves drawn to the unique and funky looking houses from the 50's & 60's. There are some cute ranches out there, but I want something a little more than that but from that same era. As an alternative option we've also put some serious consideration into building one of the Rocio Romero LVL prefab homes. Despite all of that, we have a few things we need to work on within our current home before we list it for sale and now that the weather is nice I'm hoping we can get a move on things! Here's a few photos of my dream home (how wonderful would it be if furnishings were included sans those creepy animal rugs?) - you can find lots more photos in the listing right here

5 Recent Faves of Mine

1. Headbands - Now that it's spring and my hair has been growing out all Winter I'm at my yearly debate of letting my hair keep growing or chopping it off. Usually it gets chopped but this year, I'm all about wearing headbands to keep it out of my face while I'm trying to work. I whipped up a few (seen above) in some new fabrics the other day and some will be heading to White Rabbit in Iowa City soon. 2. Uniball Vision Pens - These have long been my favorite pen but over the past couple weeks I've fallen head over heels in love with the colored inks. I want to write write write on anything I can with these. 3. Going to the Gym! We have decided that this is the year to get fit. I've been going an average of 3 times a week over the past few weeks and I'm already down almost 10 pounds and 1 pant size. We're upping it to 5 x a week this week and I have a feeling this time we'll stick with it. I actually look forward to a 30 minute workout on the elliptical now, so I think that's a good sign. 4. Garage/Estate Sales - Spring has only just begun and I've already had some amazing finds. Some of which I hope to share here and some I'm holding onto for an upcoming secret project (!!). 5. Heroes & Criminals Press - I bought one of Jessica's "Hellfire" prints this weekend at White Rabbit in Iowa City. I can't wait to get it framed and hung. (Sorry about the watermarked photo! It's dark out here which doesn't make for good photo taking.) Enjoy the rest of your evening! I'm going to go watch some Office reruns on TBS and work on some ATCs!

the smell of spring is in the air

Okay, so I got everything set up to take photos because I wanted to share some new things I've been working on, and I discovered that our digital camera is missing. I looked all throughout the house with no luck. I was just about to call Joe before I remembered that he took it with him this morning so after work he can go and take photos of his 1970 Dodge Challenger (a gift from his dad) that he's currently having restored. So I will be back soon with photos and more ramblings! If you have the chance or time, get out and enjoy the day! I can't believe how gorgeous it is outside right now. I've got the windows open and there's a nice breeze that is scented with the smell of blossoms from the crabapple tree near our house! p.s. That photo above is my little haul that I got a few weeks ago in Minneapolis at their annual Textile Center Garage Sale. Definitely an event to check out if you're in the area and a fabric lover, hoarder, whatever. Most of those pieces are 2 yards+ and I only paid $11 for all of it.

The Method Verdict

I put both of the Method products I received this week to the test (the kids 3 in 1 shampoo, conditioner and body wash in fuzzy peach and the baby hair + body wash in rice milk + mallow). The experience can be summed up in two words: Yum! Yum! The Peach Kids 3 in 1: How can you not love a product that you can not only use to wash and condition your hair but also to scrub your body? If you love peaches you will love the smell of this. I like this product a lot. I can see myself using this in those times where I need to shower in a hurry, or when I want to smell lovely peaches. The only issue I had with it was figuring out how to get it open. There's a round plastic piece that you are supposed to "lift and pull" off the bottom which then leaves an opening for you to just squeeze out the product. I suggest twisting the little plastic feet off the bottom for an easier grip on the tab. The Baby Hair + Body Wash It's unfortunate I don't yet have a baby to test this on, but I can't complain about using it on myself because the smell is divine! I don't know if it's that hint of marshmallow smell or what but it smells so good I wanted to eat it. I didn't give this product the full test and only used it on my hands and part of my forearms, but it left them silky smooth with a lovely after smell. The packing on this product is pretty genius too. At first I thought the funny green dome was rather wasteful but it actually has a hole for your finger and is meant to be used as a cup to rinse off the baby! If any of you try out any of the other products I'd love to hear about why you love them. I know I sound like a Method freak, but I guess I am. I love their products and I'm fortunate that they send me free stuff to try out. If you're interested in getting free stuff from them hop on over to their website and sign up to be an advocate.

Feeling the Method love

In honor of Earth Day and my love for Method (I am an advocate after all), I thought I would share about some fantastic things they have going on right now. Last week they sent me a free copy of their new book above and I have to say while part of it talks about all the nasty things in our homes (not only in the cleaning products we use but other things like our paint and carpets), part of it is also really really depressing and overwhelming. There's so many things in our homes that have nasty stuff in them, and there's no way to change every single thing at once even though you'll want to. I've been a user of Method products since they hit the shelves at Target, but I don't use their products for all of my cleaning. This book has convinced me to switch, not necessarily to all of their products, but to using 100% biodegradable and earth friendly products for any kind of cleaning. Whether it's store bought or something as simple as mixing up some baking soda and vinegar, it's definitely better for all of us in the long run. Their book is not only about what we use to clean, but also the way we live in our homes and the choices we make when buying new goods. Did you know that items like "wrinkle free" clothes and bed sheets often release formaldehyde? Or that the fabric softener or dryer sheets you use to keep your clothes "fresh" probably contains beef fat? Gross huh? Overall, I think even though it is depressing it's important to learn these things so we can make the decisions we can afford to in an effort to detox our homes and the environment. On a happier note, Method also released their new line of baby and kid products today. I got a box in the mail this week that had a couple full size samples and some coupons inside. I'm planning on testing out the products tonight so I'll post a full report tomorrow and maybe do a little giveaway for the coupons (they're for a free baby or kid product up to $4.99!) if there are any lurkers out there who are interested. One last note, because I can't make this post all about Method, have you seen the new RuMe bags for sale over at Delight? These are probably the best reusable bags I've seen yet. I know I can easily stitch up my own but sometimes you just need something that's a little sturdier. I've been carrying around my Danny Seo bag for months now but I'm finding that sometimes I need more than just one bag while I'm out, and something that folds up a little smaller. I bought a set of Envirosax when they came out but ended up giving them away as a birthday present so I'm really excited to try these out. If you're as smitten as I am, try using promotional code DCDELIGHT from the Daily Candy Deals email a few weeks ago. It still worked for me when I ordered this afternoon and it'll get you 30% off!

Life is a flow of love

Spring is finally starting to bloom in Iowa! This past weekend I took a trip to Minneapolis/St. Paul to visit family and head to the Minneapolis Textile Center's annual fabric garage sale. The fabric sale was crazy, not only with the amount of fabric that was available to dig through, but in the number of people that lined up in the cold before the doors opened. Despite having to squeeze through aisles that were too narrow, I still managed to score some great finds. I also found a few great fabrics at thrift stores and one fabric shop that was going out of business. I'll share my finds here as soon as I get them washed up. My mug above was a small find from the local university surplus sale today. I found my tea fortune very fitting for Downshifting Week coming up next week. Not only is Downshifting Week about finding ways to live a little greener, but taking time to slow down and enjoy life. I know that I, like many others, easily get wrapped up in work or other projects and don't take the time to slow down and enjoy what I'm doing, or even take time to drop whatever I'm doing and spend some quality time with loved ones. I hope you too will be inspired to spend next week living lightly among your nearest and dearest!

*cough*hack*cough*

Our lazy Sunday was spent with Joe watching multiple episodes of The Wire while I took lots of photos and did some updating in the Etsy shop. I'm planning on adding a few items each day to get the stock up in there since our regular website is not yet in a functioning state. I'm off to grab some more tea and head to bed as we're both coughing sickies around here. I hope you all had a lovely weekend!

playing catch up

Last weekend was our 7th (!!) Craft Saturday event and it ended up being a huge success. It was wonderful to see so many familiar and so many new faces come through. It's really starting to feel like there's a small crafty community in Des Moines. So exciting! This whole week has been spent playing catch up. It's amazing how far behind you can get when you're glued to your sewing machine all day for a couple weeks. So many emails to catch up on, blogs to read and errands to run. My poor feet have gotten the run around too (in a good way) as I surprisingly made it to the gym 3 times this week and it's not even Friday yet. I'm hoping our weather will finally turn to spring one of these days. We had a couple warm days this week, but today has been filled with rain, snow, sleet and more rain. I'm ready for warm weather so I can finally wear my new shoes around town. Warm weather also means the start of garage sale season, which I couldn't be more excited about but I'm sure Joe is dreading!

Hearts to you!

I hope you all had a wonderful and sweet day!

I'm sticking with you

Head on over to the Etsy shop of one of my favorite Craft Saturday vendors: Jade Scott Jewelry. She's having a 50% off sale through Saturday on all her gorgeous bits and baubles. I have several of her pieces and can attest that once you get one you will be hooked. Her craftsmanship is outstanding and you can't beat that discount and free shipping. Something from her shop would make a great V-day gift... We typically don't get too into Valentine's Day around here, but I really couldn't resist buying this lovely:

Things I love this week...

Turquoise and brown together. There has been a lot of this color combination around our house lately: These wonderful Charles Harper dishes from Tag: These fun vintage coasters from Etsy seller FatPatch: Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Eames Stamps!

2008 is going to be a great year for snail mail! These stamps look fantastic and I can't wait until they are released. Read more on other 2008 stamps here.